A private legal practitioner, Nii Samoa Kpakpo Addo, has indicated that the charge levelled against the FixTheCountry Convener, Oliver Barker Vormawor, is an interesting one.
Lawyer Samoa Addo intimated that the case is interesting because the constitutional provision of what constitutes treason is a peculiar one. He stated that the charge is a very severe cut and he would want to ask to see copies of the bill of indictment and the specific evidence in support.
“Under normal circumstances, if you have a trial, it should be just one judge but because of the high standard that the constitution puts on the trial for treason and the penalty which is the death penalty, if you are convicted, it is actually a trial that is handled by three high court judges.”
Nii Samoa Kpakpo Addo
According to the legal practitioner, the only thing he would draw attention to is the fact that, for anything generally to be a crime in the country, there must be an act and there must be an intent. Lawyer Samoa Addo explained that there are “act specific” offenses so, doing the act without having an intent is enough but in this situation “you have to have the criminal act which is prohibited and also the prohibited intention coming together”.
According to Mr. Samoa Addo, it will be difficult to make a concrete analysis when the full details of the bill of indictment has not been made public. He stated that a proper evaluation and some proper conclusion can be reached after there is access to the bill of indictment and the evidence in support.
“Let’s look at the effect. In the media, we only have the fact that he published a certain statement and that statement is meant to have declared an intent of something. It depends on the nature of the particulars of the offence.”
Nii Samoa Kpakpo Addo
AG has the right to press charges
Responding to if the Attorney General is overreacting, Mr. Addo stated that the AG has the right to press charges and the accused also has the right to defend himself. “If at any point, the Ghanaian believes that he will not have a fair trial, then we have a problem.”
The Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, yesterday, June 2, 2022 indicted social media activist and convener of the #FixTheCountry pressure group, Oliver Mawuse Barker-Vormawor, to stand trial at the High Court on two counts of Treason felony.
The two counts stated are treason felony contrary to section 182(b) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and treason felony contrary to section 182(b) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
The charge noted that Oliver Mawuse Barker-Vormawor, in February 2022, in Ghana, through a post on his Twitter social media account published to people in Ghana and the rest of the world, endeavored to usurp the executive powers of the Republic by advocating for the violent overthrow of the constitution.
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